Improvement in seed-planters



J. C. JENKINS.

SEED-PLANTER.

Patented 1 'eb.15,'187'e.4

N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHBGRAPHER. WASHINGON, D16.

' UNITED f STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH c. JENKINS, OE LEBANON, TENNESSEE, ASsIeNOn OE ONE-HALF` HISRIGHT To WILLIAM H. BENNETT, OE SAMEPLAOE.

i IMPROVEMENT IN SEED-PLANTERS.

^ Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 73,473, datedFebruary 15, 1876; application filed December 27, 1875.

To all whom it Amay concern:

Be it. known that I, JOSEPH C. JENKINS, of Lebanonfin the county otWilson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Seed-Planters 5 and I do here# by declare the followingto be a full, clear, and

exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a top View of my invention with thehopper partially broken away, andshowing the sliding bottoms partlyopen.v Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line a: x, Fig.1; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line y y, Fig. 2. Y

The object of my invention is to provide a corn or other similar seedplanter with an attachment whereby two different kinds of seedforinstance, vgrains of corn and pumpkinseeds-may be planted at the sametime in the same hill, andalso so that one kind thereof-for instance,cornmay be dropped in the row with and between the hills containing twokinds of seed; and the nature of my invention consists in certainconstructions, combinations, and arrangementsof parts, as hereinafterdescribed and specifically claimed, whereby the above-mentioned resultsare produced in a simple manner. i

In order that others skilled in the art may be enabled to make and usemy invention, I will now proceed to describe the same with' referencesto the drawings, in which- A represents a hopper, fixed upon a frame, B,resting on the axle C, and which carries the wheels`D, which latter, inorder to insure their operation, `are provided with traction -points orspikes d, to take a firm hold of the ground. Both or one ot' thesewheels may be fast with the axle. This hopper A is divided .into twocompartments by the partition A',

each of which is provided with a movable sliding bottom, a al, arrangedabove and resting on a stationary bottom, a2. These bottoms a al are,near ,their rear ends, provided with openings 'a3 a4, to permit the seedlto escape during the operation of the machine, and which openings arehollowed out sufficiently at the upper'suri'ace of the bottoms toreceive and contain the required quantity of seed to be dropped intoeach hill; and the stationary bottom a2 is provided with openings a5 a,arranged at its rearl end, in such'a manner as will bring themunderneath and on a line with the openings a3 af* when th'e slidingbottoms are in a position for dropping the seed.

E Ev are dropping-levers, arranged upon each side ot' the front end ofthe machine, and pivoted at E', and connected to the front ends of thesliding bottoms a al by any proper de' vice, or as shown at e e',Fig. 1. i

F F are springs, arranged to bear against the rear ends of the slidingbottoms, and which work independently of each other, their objectbeingto-keep the sliding bottoms in place underneath the hoppers during theintervals in the dropping of the seed. These springs may be constructedand'arranged as shown in the drawings, or in any other convenient andpractical manner.

G- is a single cam-lever, and 'Gr' a double cam-lever. Both are securelyfixed upon the axle C, upon opposite sides of the hopper A, and soarranged as to enable their ends to come in contact with the ends of thedropping levers E E as the wheels D, which are (one or both) madestationary upon the axle C, cause the axle to revolve.

H is a spout, arranged underneath the seedopenings c3 at, and designedto conduct the seed, as it comes from either compartment of the hopper,into the row or furrow made by the plow I, at the front end of themachine.

K K are covering-plows, attached to the rear end of the frame B by boltsK' K', and made adjustable, in order to secure the required depth ofcovering, by means of the rods It k, which also serve as stays or bracesto the standards of the plows, and hold them firmly in place.

L are the handles, .and M the draft-beam.

Operation: Supposing, as is often the case, a farmer wishes to utilizethe space between the hills of corn in one direction, and raise twodifferent crops from the same field, he places the corn into thatcompartment of the hopper nearest the single cam-lever G, and into theadjoining compartment he puts the other kind of seed which he desires toplant.

It will be readily perceived that as the machine is put in motion therevolving axle C carries with it the cam-levers G G,.which opv cratethesliding bottoms a a1 by means of the levers E E, and thus carry the seedcontained in the openings a3 at, and held therein by the stationarybottom a2, over the corresponding openings in said stationary bottom, tobe discharged; and that, by reason of the double cam-lever G', thesliding bottom upon that side of the planter will drop the seed cou'-tained in the compartment above it twice as often as will the one on theopposite side.

It will also be seen that, as one of the arms ot' the double cam-lever Gis on aline with the cam-lever G, and upon the same side of the shaft oraxle C, the two will operate together upon every full revolution of' theWheels, and the dropping from both compartments of the hopper will besimultaneous, and both kinds of seed be carried by the spout H into thesame hill; and that at each half-revolution j of the axle C the otherarm of the cam-lever G will be brought into use, dropping 'seed from one-side of the machine only7 and'at equal distances between the hills ofseed planted by the planter when both ot' the sliding bottoms are beingoperated together, as above described.

This machine can be used for dropping fertilzing material in every otherhill ot' seed; and, by putting a double cam-lever on both sides of thehopper, vfertilizer can be dropped in every hill.

But I do not claim two slides, operated at all times together; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a seed-planter, the sliding bottoms a al, arranged to operateseparately and together alternately, so that two hills of corn areplanted for every hill of 'pumpkin-seed, substantially as and for lthepurposes described.

2. The sliding bottoms a al, with openings a3 a, levers E E, and springsF F, in-combination with thJl revolving axle C, provided. with thesingle cam-lever G and double camlever Gf, constructed and arranged tooperato substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Witness my hand in matter of my application for a patent for improvedseed-planters.

JOSEPH C. JENKINS.

Witnesses:

E. J. MIDDLETON, Jr., JNO. S. SLATER.

